Pakistan, U.S. sign agreement on NATO supply routes

In this photo released by Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID) on July 31, 2012, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Hoagland (L, Front) and Rear Admiral Farrukh Ahmed shake hands after signing an agreement in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Pakistan and the U.S. on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to replace the existing arrangement for NATO supply routes. (Xinhua/PID)

ISLAMABAD, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan and the United States on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to replace the existing arrangement for NATO supply routes.

American Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad, Richard Hoagland, and a senior Pakistani Defense Ministry official, Rear Admiral Farrokh Ahmad, signed the MoU on behalf of the two governments.

Pakistan reopened the land route for transporting supplies to the NATO-led coalition force in neighboring Afghanistan on July 3 after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologized for the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a U.S. airstrike on a border checkpost last November.

Pakistan blocked the supply line for nearly seven months before Washington agreed to tender apology.

Officials from both countries will meet once every two months to evaluate the implementation of the MoU.

Transportation of arms and ammunition via Pakistan will not be allowed except for the Afghan National Army, according to the MoU.

Transport of non-lethal cargo including food, medicine and fuel will be allowed.

The MoU will be valid till 31 December 2015 and could be extended for one year after consultations.

BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhuanet) -- The U.S. and Pakistan are close to signing an agreement regulating the flow of NATO troop supplies in and out of Afghanistan. The agreement codifies a somewhat informal arrangement that has fuelled the Afghan war over the past decade.

Thousands of Pakistanis have staged protests against the government’s decision. The new agreement applies to NATO supplies that have not yet arrived in Pakistan. It does not apply to more than 9,000 containers that have been stuck in the country for months. Full story

ISLAMABAD, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan said Thursday that it will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States for formalization of supply routes for NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan last week reopened NATO supply line after the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said "sorry" over the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a last November airstrike. Full story